Fatima Kakkar

Dr. Fatima Kakkar serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, with clinical duties in the Infectious Diseases service at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal. Her work bridges pediatric clinical care, infectious disease research, and public health policy development.

Her academic training includes:

• Medical Degree, McGill University (1999-2003)
• Pediatric Residency, Children's Hospital of Western Ontario (2003-2007)
• Fellowship in Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto (2007-2009)
• Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Gorgas Institute, Lima (2009)
• Research Fellowship in Immunocompromised Pediatric, University of Toronto (2009-2010)
• Master of Public Health (Quantitative Methods), Harvard School of Public Health (2010-2011)

Dr. Kakkar's research centers on pediatric infectious disease pathogenesis and treatment optimization, particularly HIV vertical transmission dynamics, antiretroviral therapy outcomes in infants/adolescents, and tuberculosis diagnostics. She investigates immunological consequences of maternal HIV exposure in uninfected infants and develops evidence-based guidelines for resource-limited settings through her tropical medicine expertise.

Her 2010-2015 publications reveal consistent focus on HIV epidemiology in Canadian pediatric populations, with methodological strengths in cohort analysis and immunological assessment. Key themes include perinatal ART efficacy, virologic reservoir characterization, and diagnostic innovation for tuberculosis in children, reflecting interdisciplinary collaboration across infectious disease, immunology, and public health domains.

Dr. Kakkar has secured competitive research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (FRQS), demonstrating sustained investigator-initiated research capacity. She has been invited as a keynote speaker five times since 2013, indicating national recognition in her field.

While no formal advisees are listed in available records, her research leadership involves mentoring through CHU Sainte-Justine's clinical research infrastructure. Her work operates within collaborative networks including CIUSSS Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec and international partnerships established during her tropical medicine training.